Getting the most out of selling your house

Friends of mine are selling their home. They are having the home of their dreams built over the next year. The really good news about this is that they have time to plan to get the full value of their current home when they sell.

It pays to plan when it comes to selling your home. There are lots of good guides out there which discuss the right renovations and "freshening up" to do around the house in order to get the right price for your home.

Here's a few simple things that anyone can do, and which won't cost you much if anything. De-clutter rooms. Let in the natural light by either opening curtains or getting sheers. Use accessories sparingly, to help make your home look more spacious and attractive. Just these few pointers can translate into big money.

When we sold our last home, we de-cluttered with a vengeance. In fact, we decided that renting a storage locker and getting rid of anything we didn't need for a couple months was a good investment. It was! We likely increased the amount we got for our home by a few thousand, for a couple hundred dollars of cost.

If you have enough time before you sell, you can do larger projects to increase value. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to give your home additional appeal is to do a fresh coat of paint. Update the colors. Perhaps go to a more neutral color scheme, in order to help prospective home buyers be able to see themselves in your place.

You don't have to create a whole new addition, but perhaps nicely finishing that basement rec room would be a good investment. Maybe that old stained carpeting could go. Or perhaps just a good cleaning will do the trick. A real estate agent can often help with these kinds of decisions. If they are familiar with your area, they will know what improvement get a buyer's attention, and what improvements will not get you the return you want.

Summer is the time when many of us sell. School is soon out and the kids can be moved without interrupting their studies. If you are thinking about selling, look into how you can improve the price of your home now.